Can Women Be Funny?

Male comedians grossly outnumber their female counterparts. So, is there a genetic predisposition, which determines that women are less amusing than men? Or, is there a section of society which remains discomforted by funny women? Why, in terms of comedy, are women still a minority group?

There is certainly no shortage of talented and witty women, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen Degeneres, Sarah Silverman, Tina Fey, Joan Rivers, Jennifer Saunders, Tracey Ullman, and Wanda Sykes, to name but a few. So, it would seem that the second X chromosome does not preclude women from the ability to make people laugh. Despite the fact that there is no shortage of 'female funny', comedy is still very much a male dominated world. In fact, there remains a staunch view that women are simply not as funny as men.

Stand-up comedy, more than any other form of the genre, is very much a man's world. For example, in the twenty one years of the Edinburgh Festival's 'So you think you're funny?' competition there has only ever been one female winner (Rhona Cameron). If you have ever been to a comedy club you will notice the distinct lack of estrogen on stage. This may well have more to do with the confidence necessary to perform stand-up comedy, than a lack of ability. It clearly requires a lot of brass to get up on stage, in front of a group of people, who have probably had too much to drink, and try to make them laugh. The fact is that women are notoriously more self-conscious than men, and this may well be a contributing factor in the lack of female stand-up comics.

The other hurdle that female comedians seem to face is public perception. If asked, most men would say that they would not want their wives, or girlfriends, to be funnier than them. This is not to suggest that all men hold this opinion, but it is a universal truth that the male ego is still alive and well. It could be said that a lot of female comics compromise their femininity somewhat, to compensate for this fact. After all, if a man sees a woman as a feminine being, he isn't necessarily listening to what she's saying. So, it's little wonder that many female stand-up comedians attempt to de-sexualise themselves, in order to be heard.

On the other side of public perception, female comedians have to tackle the members of their own sex. There are some women who may feel intimidated by a confident, witty, woman. One way for a female comedian to get these women on their side is to tell jokes about men. The only problem is that by doing that a female comic immediately ostracizes the male members of an audience. There is clearly a catch twenty two situation here, which just is not present for a male comedian.

This isn't simply another chapter in the battle of the sexes. The issues surrounding the perception of female comedians say a lot about our society. They suggest what is perhaps obvious, that we are still far from an age of sexual equality. All comedians have their fans and their detractors, this is no surprise. What is shocking, however, is that often the detractors of female comedians do not merely express their dislike of the material. Read, or listen to, any debate about female comedians and you will notice that the comments get extremely personal and offensive. Often women are derided for their looks, or their sexuality. There is an aggression present which is incomprehensible and seems to have nothing to do with a female comic's talent. With all this up against them, it is not difficult to see why so few women choose to take up the profession.